Choices
by narratekate
Summary: Dib has given up and is a junkie after all these years. Zim helps him. Its all about the choices. Not a ZADR but might accidentally become one later.
1. Chapter 1

**:\ I wrote this in class and it looked a lot longer on paper. **

He's in there. I know he is, but I don't know what he's going to be like when I go in there to get him… Well that's not completely true, I know he's intoxicated, but how much? Is he even awake or is he unconscious? If he is unconscious was it because of the drugs or the alcohol this time? And the biggest question is, have I really decided I'm going in there to get him or am I still debating?

I stand on the sidewalk and stare at the door of this house. My hands are in the pockets of my red leather jacket and my head is already pounding from the loud music. I take a deep breath. I could turn back, I could leave right now. But I won't, I won't be like him and give up. I walk up the sidewalk and push open the door. It seems rude to just walk in but it also seems silly to knock.

I am not prepared for what I see.

There are bodies everywhere. People are dancing and shouting, people are passed out on the floor, there are people who are dancing and fall to the floor. My antennae wiggle under my wig with all the information being thrust on them. The music is louder inside and the whole place reeks of sweat and beer. I actually think the carpet is wet because so much of it has been spilled. I grimace and start pushing my way through the crowd. Several drinks got spilled on me and before I even got through the living room to the basement (where I knew Dib would be because that's typically where the junkies are) some little whore tried to take my pants off. I slapped her and stalked off quickly. These people were the reason this planet needed to be taken over. I step on to the stairs and I catch a glimpse of a bobbing scythe lock. I leap down the stairs two at a time and see him swaying like he's going to fall over. I reach out and grab a handful of the back of his trench coat. I yank it hard and he stumbles again. He turns around wobbly and I see that his eyes are blood shot. His face is pale and sunken. I frown at the needle in his hand. It's empty.

I shake my head and pull the needle out of his grasp. Mumbling words of comfort I take his wrist and drag him out of the house. He didn't protest but that's probably because he was too wasted to care. He falls twice on the way back and both times I patiently help him up. Less than a block from away from the base he fell to his knees and vomited. The scent was overwhelming and it nauseated me but I knelt down beside him and petted his scythe gently.

"It hurts…" He moaned. His glasses were about to slip off his face and into the puddle but I caught them just in time.

"I know it hurts." I whisper back. "But it really is your own fault." That's a lie. It's my fault. If I never came here he wouldn't be like this. I don't take all the blame, it was a choice for him but I influenced it. A lot.

He moaned again and I helped him to his feet again and led him down the street. I was holding his hand to lead him, but there wasn't a single thing about it that was romantic. His hand was clammy and kept slipping against my slick glove.

Soon my base came into sight and I dragged him faster. Inside I shut the door quickly and laid Dib out on the couch. I had computer bring me a bucket and a wet cloth when I saw his face turn a pale shade of green very close to my color. The bucket came just in time for him to let more of his gross stomach juices out. It made a sickening splat when it landed in the bucket and I had to restrain myself from not puking too. I shuddered and he lay back on the couch. With a sarcastic smile I began wiping his face with the cool cloth. After a few minutes he was asleep and snoring. I brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked at him. He had purple bruise like shadows under his eyes and his hair was dirty. Where did the world's savior go? When had he just given up? When had he lost his determination? I shook my head and stood up. I tossed my disguise on the floor and wished he would take his mask off too. The mask of addiction and lies.

"You are pathetic Dib. Truly you are if you can reduce yourself to this." I turned away from him and went down to the depths of my lab, alone, wondering if I had made the right choice.

**Sooooooo?**


	2. Chapter 2

**The second chapter of Choices! :D sorry it took so long, but it is here in all of it's wonderfulness!**

Dib groaned and sat up slowly from the couch. I observed him silently, slightly amused at his pain. He had been the cause after all.

The hung over boy rubbed his temples slowly and asked out loud, "Where am I?"

"You are in Zim's base filthy Earth child." I said.

His head shot up and his eyes flitted around the room quickly. His eyes were bloodshot and they weren't the same tone of gold anymore. They were more of an ugly mustard and they didn't hold the same confidence anymore. I t disappointed me.

"And I'm not on a dissection table?" He muttered softly, too soft for human ears to have heard.

"Yes Dib." I startled him by answering. "You are in my base, and not on a dissection table."

My cool gaze didn't leave him as he tried to get up and stumbled. I didn't get up or make any move to help him; it was just too funny to watch. Once he was on his feet he swayed a bit and then his face turned slightly green.

"Computer! BUCKET!" I shouted just in time. Computer shoved a bucket under Dib's mouth right as he threw up. You'd think someone who was as intoxicated as often as he was would be able to hold their liquor much better and I had a mind to tell him that. The scent of vomit filled the air of my house again and I questioned my motives for bringing him here.

"Ugh, can you not keep your disgusting hyyuman joos in you Dib-smell?" I complained loudly.

He lifted his head heavily and looked at me with droopy eyes. It was pathetic but I could easily read the answer. He knew what he was doing was wrong and gross and it made him throw up and feel worse later… but when he did it, the pain was gone, if even just for awhile. I looked away slightly ashamed. It was my fault anyways. I'm the one that drove him over the edge and made him turn to the addictions. I didn't need a motive for him to be here, I was obligated to take care of him.

"Come Dib… I need to perform a health scan on you." I mumbled and walked into the kitchen. I hear his socked feet slide across the tile after me. I gestured to the trashcan and climbed in. Awkwardly he climbed in and the elevator went down. My antennae were filled with his gross aura of smoke and sweat. He needed a shower and that would come right after the health scan.

I stepped out of the elevator into the lower parts of my lab and took a deep breath of fresh air. After my lungs were relieved of the noxious smell I briskly began walking down the right corridor.

"Come Dib thing." I called again, even though he was probably already following me. I was beginning to feel like I had a pet of some sort. I called, he came and followed. It would be somewhat amusing to have a Dib-pet, I thought.

Finally we came to the right door and I walked inside. I motioned for him to sit on the table and I ordered the computer to do a full health scan. A bar lowered out of the ceiling and blue lasers shot from it to scan over Dib. He flinched and I bit my lip at his expression. It was just too funny to see him cringe in terror over nothing. The bright blue light went from his toes up and over his torso all the way over his head before it beeped loudly and a screen came down to give me the results. To say I wasn't pleased with the results would have been an understatement.

"Well Dib, you seem to have truly screwed yourself over the past few years." I continued on. "Your stomach layers are starting to dissolve; your eye sight has gotten much worse, among other things…" I let my sentence drift off as I read the full list of things that was wrong with him. "But, do not worry. There nothing that I cannot fix…" Should I fix him though? Really, I mean it was his fault he was like this and who was to say after I fixed him if he would just up and leave to go destroy himself again… No I needed confidence that he would not go back to his addictions.

"Dib. I will return your body to its natural state of being if you will be my eternal slave." _Wow… that actually came out rather nicely. _I thought.

He looked up at me with those bleary eyes and I could see that he was actually considering it. Not that he knew even if he refused I would heal him; that I felt that it was my duty and I would do it no matter what. Even if it was stupid.

Then he nodded.

"I'll do it. What have I got to lose?" He added softly, looking away into a corner.

I gaped at him. "Only your planet! Your race!" I shouted. So what if it was a lie? I knew very well now that I could not take over this planet, but he didn't. For all he knew I was just being more secretive about it now.

He shrugged. "I stopped fighting for them a long time ago anyways."

"What about your fucking dignity?" I spat the words at him.

Another shrug. "You took that too." He shot me a half glare.

I stepped back as if I'd been slapped. All I could do was sit there and open and close my mouth like a fish. What could I do? He was right. I had taken all that from him. It was my fault that he was here like this… But at least I was taking responsibility for my actions. He wasn't.

"The least you could do is be grateful that I'm fixing you at all. I mean it wasn't me who made the decision to turn to drugs and alcohol. You could have chosen anything else when you gave up on me… Just 'cause you gave up on me didn't mean you had to give up on life." I started out with venom but towards the end you could see my guilt and sadness leaking through.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you weren't the only reason I surrendered?" He hunched his shoulders and turned away from me. I looked over into the corner he had been looking into a few minutes ago. Maybe it held some answers.

"I'll have the computer start making up the things I will need to restore you. In the mean time you may go to the upper level of the base and watch television. I ask that you please do not leave the base or wreck anything." I said quietly, yet somehow it seemed to echo.

He gave a noncommittal grunt and strode over to the elevator. He paused for a moment before getting in.

"Thank you for what you're doing. I really am grateful, Zim." He said and then disappeared up the shoot.

My shoulders sunk down as I watched him blur out of sight and I sat down in my computer chair heavily. It was going to be a long day.


End file.
